Raiders Land Major Piece in Draft-Day Trade With Texans — Winners and Losers

The Las Vegas Raiders just pulled off a masterclass draft day trade.

Feb 26, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Arizona defensive back Treydan Stukes (DB49) speaks to members of the media during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders walked away as big winners from the first round of the NFL Draft.

Fernando Mendoza is now officially a Raider, and with that selection, a new dawn shines over Raider Nation. The new Raiders regime is ready for the season to start with their new franchise quarterback secured, but the weekend isn't over yet. What does their second-round selection mean for them?

Second Round Pick

Restricting the airspace. #RaiderNation

We have selected Treydan Stukes with the 38th pick.

📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/kYV0LOEL5U

— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) April 24, 2026

With the 38th pick in the NFL Draft, the Raiders have officially selected Treydan Stukes, a safety from Arizona with plenty of experience. He embodies the Raiders' spirit of grind and hustle as a former walk-on who climbed his way up to become a leader on defense.

Klint Kubiak just won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks, and a big part of their defensive identity was how willing and adept their defensive backs were at tackling. The Raiders are getting more of the same from him as he projects to be a nickel back in the NFL.

Front Office Making Moves

Every player pegged by the Raiders at #36 on the board, so the Raiders move down two spots and add ANOTHER 3rd round pick. Spytek, Spyteking,

— Hondo Carpenter (@HondoCarpenter) April 24, 2026

One of the most interesting things about this selection is that the Raiders traded down from the 36th spot with the Houston Texans and still managed to get the player they wanted. John Spytek making moves is a good sign, especially if it means increased draft capital in a pivotal draft class.

The Raiders gave up the 36th and 117th picks for the Texans' 38th and 91st picks. The Raiders had three picks in the fourth round, and giving up one of those netted them an additional third-round selection. That now gives them two picks in Round 3, projecting Day 2 to be extremely productive for the Silver and Black. Clearly, the Raider won this trade.

Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Unless Spytek decides to move up or down again, the Raiders will walk away with three new players on Day 2 of the NFL Draft. Based on them taking a safety in the second round, I'd expect them to lean more towards the offensive side of the ball in the third. Offensive line and wide receiver remain a big concern for them.

Overall, this was an excellent draft-day trade on behalf of the new Raiders regime. Swapping a fourth for a third may not seem like a big deal in a vacuum, but the options just expanded exponentially. Stukes was a good selection for where they selected him. Let's see if Spytek can continue to correctly diagnose when they should select their players.